Your Letters: May 1

Thank you, community

Thank you to all of the people who came to the benefit for my son, Ryan "Wagon" Steffenhagen, April 20 at the Draft Haus, and the great group of people who served on the committee that made it all possible.

Thanks, too, to the businesses that contributed to the silent auction and Chinese auction. And to Loud Entertainment and Bubba G for the great music.

Ryan continues to go through treatment as he waits for a kidney transplant, and it's wonderful to see all the community support. If you weren't able to make it but would like to help, an account has been set up under Ryan (Wagon) Steffenhagen at Baylake Bank branches for donations.

Paula Kinnard

Sturgeon Bay

All I want is responsible spending

I have two sons who graduated from the Southern Door School District. I am not against education, but I also don't want to be like the surrounding districts where you keep going to the cookie jar every three years because you don't balance the budget. We can't live that way at home, so why teach our children that it is OK to not budget properly and expect someone to bail you out?

There are countless people who said they were proud of the Southern Door taxpayers for taking a stand and telling their elected officials and administration "NO!" These were business leaders and taxpayers from the districts that passed referendums and said where does it stop?

Now our students being told that AP or certain classes would not be available because the taxpayers don't support them. Nothing could be further from the truth. As a taxpayer all I want is responsible spending. Why are certain class numbers dropping off every year, maybe administration needs to look at what changed. Was it the students? No. The curriculum? No. The teacher?

There are great teachers here at Southern Door, and if you are offended by my remarks, maybe you need to take a long hard look at what you are doing. No decisions have been made or directives given by this board to cut any class offerings to date. Yes, there are some tough decision to be made but not at the expense of a child's education. Seems some people feel they have the right to bully - yes this is a form of bullying, threatening students by telling them certain classes won't be available because the referendum failed. It was very short-sided and poor planning if there was no backup plan for a failed referendum. To start with what is offered to our students is the worst possible place to start!

Had you come to us with specific cost, not hide behind "it is a 'Yes' vote for the students" and all along all that was put into the new software was raises, you may very well have had a different outcome. I don't know of any kids who would benefit from what was put into the software as a necessity.

Call your board members, you say; they don't return your call or "unfriend" you because you don't agree with what they want. The taxpayers have spoken and it is time this administration listens. Do not take away from our students as a punitive measure because the referendum failed. Start by cutting the fat off the top of the kettle.

There is a website I stumbled onto by accident, and when I posted it and asked questions I became an immediate enemy of the referendum. I was not telling anyone to vote "No," I was only referring to it so people would ask questions. Take the time to visit www.southerdoorschools.org. Find out for yourself if your tax dollars are being used responsibly.